Tendulkar fails to make ton of tons in 2000th Test

LONDON: Sachin Tendulkar's latest bid to become the first batsman to score 100 international hundreds ended in failure when he was dismissed for 34 in the first Test against England at Lord's here on Saturday.The 38-year-old Tendulkar came into this match having scored 51 Test centuries and 48 in one-day internationals both records. He had looked in good touch while stroking six fours before fast bowler Stuart Broad, who has taken all three India first innings wickets to fall so far, produced a good length delivery that Tendulkar could only edge low to Graeme Swann at second slip.Tendulkar's exit continued his mediocre Test record at Lord's where his highest score in what is eight innings remains 37. His dismissal on Saturday left India 158 for three 316 runs behind England's first innings 474 for eight declared in what was the opening match of a four-Test series.

Read More

India fight back after Broad double

LONDON: Sachin Tendulkar's bid to score his 100th international century here on Saturday remained intact after England seamer Stuart Broad starred on the third day of the first Test at Lord's.India, at lunch, were 102 for two in reply to England's first innings 474 for eight declared, a deficit of 372 and still needing a further 173 runs to avoid the follow-on.Rahul Dravid was 15 not out and Tendulkar, who came to the crease having already scored a record 51 Test centuries and 48 in one-day internationals, unbeaten on 10. Broad, the pick of an otherwise wayward England attack, was rewarded for a full length with the wickets of openers Gautam Gambhir (15) and Abhinav Mukund (49) during a spell of two for 25 in eight overs. Mukund, playing in place of the injured Virender Sehwag, and fellow left-hander Gambhir had survived a tricky half hour late Friday after England captain Andrew Strauss declared.There was a nasty moment early on Saturday for Mukund, in only his fourth Test, when he missed a hook off a Chris Tremlett bouncer and was hit on the side of the helmet.He then nervously edged swing bowler James Anderson through gully.But it was Broad who made the breakthrough when he bowled Gambhir between bat and pad with a full swinging delivery to leave India 63 for one.Mukund though straight-drove Broad to move to within four of a fifty.But one run shy of what would have been his second Test half century, the 21-year-old Mukund played on attempting an extravagant shot to end nearly two hours' of game resistance.Tendulkar, who made his Test debut before Mukund was born, walked out to a standing ovation from a capacity 28,500 crowd.He had been rested from India's recent tour of the West Indies and spent much of the intervening time practising at Lord's, where his Test-best score is a meagre 37.Tendulkar looked in a good touch Saturday with his only boundary so far, a backfoot pushed cover-drive off Tremlett, a classic. Kevin Pietersen's superb 202 not out was the cornerstone of England's total after they lost the toss. India medium-pacer Praveen Kumar took a Test-best haul of five for 106 in the absence of strike bowler Zaheer Khan, off the field for most of the innings with a hamstring strain.

Read More

Pietersen strikes double hundred in 2000th Test

LONDON: Kevin Pietersen struck the India bowlers to all parts of Lord's on Friday during a majestic unbeaten innings of 202 on a sun-dappled second day of the first Test.Pietersen unfurled a series of glorious drives at the spiritual home of world cricket before an appreciative capacity crowd attending the 2,000th Test match and the 100th between the two countries. He smacked 21 boundaries and a six in more than eight hours at the crease to complete his third test double century and take England to 474 for eight declared. India survived the final half hour to reach 17 for no wicket at the close and set the stage for Saturday's showpiece day and Sachin Tendulkar, who needs one more century to become the first man to complete 100 international hundreds.India, reduced to three specialist bowlers in the absence of Zaheer Khan who was off the field all day due to a hamstring strain, had their own hero in the lion-hearted Praveen Kumar who took five for 106 from 40.3 overs. Moving the ball disconcertingly through the air at times at no more than medium pace with a low-slung action from an economical run-up, Kumar deservedly won a place on the Lord's honours board in only his fourth test.His performance was all the more creditable as conditions were in favour of the batsmen with the sun shining, the pitch full of runs and little in the way of support

Read More

Kenya names squad named for UAE I Cup and One Day Matches

Cricket Kenya has named a 14 man squad to play in the One Day fixtures and ICC Intercontinental Cup match against United Arab Emirates at Nairobi Gymkhana from 25th July. Chairman of Selectors Alpesh Vader said: 'This is a new look squad with some players being offered the opportunity to show what they can do at this level. The fact that some players have rejected new contracts and made themselves unavailable presents others with their chance.'We have a blend of players who have been involved with the squad for some time, players who have shown good form in domestic cricket and deserve a chance at this level and some who were not recently offered contracts and have a point to prove.'All the players selected have the ability to perform at this level and cement their place in the squad.

The squad is as follows:

Collins Obuya (captain)

Rakep Patel

Tanmay Mishra

Runish Gudka

Hiren Varaiya

Lucas Oluoch

Dominic Wesonga

Karen Kaul

Amit Shukla

Rajesh Bhudia

Rajesh Varsani

Ramesh Mepani

Mansukh Jesani (wicket keeper)

Samarth Patel

Read More

Pietersen anchors England against India

LONDON: Kevin Pietersen's unbeaten 71 took England to 217 for three against India at lunch on the second day of the first Test at Lord's here on Friday as the tourists were forced to do without Zaheer Khan.England, who resumed on 127 for two, lost just one wicket in the session when Jonathan Trott was lbw to Praveen Kumar for 70.Ian Bell was 28 not out, having so far put on 57 for the fourth wicket with Pietersen, as England made steady, if unspectacular, progress against a depleted attack.India suffered a major setback when spearhead fast bowler Zaheer remained off the field with a hamstring injury The left-armer had been the pick of India's attack on Thursday, removing openers Alastair Cook and England captain Andrew Strauss, on his way to miserly figures of two for 18 in 13.3 overs before breaking down.To make matters worse for ICC Test Championship leaders India, who had won the toss, not only were they a bowler light in what was only a four-man attack to start with, but conditions for batting had improved markedly from Thursday's overcast skies.With the sun shining, the South Africa-born pair of Trott and Pietersen resumed on 58 not out and 22 not out respectively.They looked untroubled early on Friday, Pietersen on-driving Ishant Sharma for four.But persevering medium-pacer Kumar was rewarded for his accuracy when Trott, aiming across the line, was lbw for 70 to end a stand of 98 that left England 160 for three.Kumar might not be as quick as either Zaheer or Ishant, but a spell of one wicket for seven runs in six overs was proof of his effectiveness.Pietersen, on 49, almost fell into a well set trap when he glanced Kumar towards Rahul Dravid in the rarely used position of leg-slip.Pietersen stood his ground and, with the umpires consulting replays which proved inconclusive, he went on to complete a 134-ball fifty with five fours -- somewhat subdued by his own standards.But his usual aggression was evident when he advanced down the pitch to drive off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for four and stroked Ishant through the covers for another boundary.

Read More

No central contract for Shoaib Malik

LAHORE: Pakistan`s former captain, Shoaib Malik has been ruled out of contention to get a central contract from the Pakistan Cricket Board as he has still not been able to satisfy the integrity committee about an amount of 90,000 pounds in his account.Sources in the board said that Malik, Danish Kaneria, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar were out of contention for getting a central contract."In Malik`s case he has provided everything that was asked for by the integrity committee of the board except for the questions surrounding the 90,000 pounds," one source told PTI.The source said that the amount was found in one of Malik`s accounts backdated but then went missing in the latest bank statement he submitted to the board."The integrity committee asked him to explain where he had spent the amount but so far he has been unable to give a satisfactory reply to them," the source said."Malik has told the committee that he gave loans to some of his friends but was unable to give details of the persons he had given the amount to, leaving the committee members not satisfied with his response," the source said.Another source aware of the details confirmed that during his appearances before the integrity committee, it was also found that an Indian had worked as Malik`s agent for a while and was investigated."The present situation is that Malik is clear in every regard except for the unanswered questions about how the 90,000 pounds were spent and where," the source said.The Chairman of the Pakistan cricket board in a recent interview had said that once Malik cleared this issue he could walk into the Pakistan team.Ijaz Butt had noted that given his performance at the domestic level and his outstanding record in one-day internationals, the Pakistan team needed an allrounder of Malik’s caliber in the team."I have myself spoken to him and given him brotherly advice that he should just satisfy the integrity committee about this issue and he is clear to play for Pakistan," Butt had said.Malik last played for Pakistan on the England tour last year but since then has been ignored for selection and was also not considered for the World Cup because of his issues with the integrity committee.The PCB is due to announce fresh central contracts by next month for the second half of the year.

Read More

Vettori joins Brisbane Heat for Big Bash

SYDNEY: Former New Zealand Test captain Daniel Vettori on Tuesday became the second international to sign with Brisbane Heat for Australia’s Twenty20 Big Bash next summer.The left-arm spinner, who has taken 79 wickets in 70 career T20 games at an average of 20.96, will play alongside compatriot Brendon McCullum in the new-look domestic competition from December 30-February 5.Heat coach Darren Lehmann said it was important to have such an experienced player on the team.“He’s obviously a leader, which is what you want, and to call on that experience and skill will be vital for us,” Lehmann said.The Big Bash League signing window closes on Friday

Read More

Kenya withdraw contracts for five players

NAIROBI: Cricket Kenya on Thursday withdrew its one-year contracts to five first-team players but hoped they would still continue to play for the country.The five, who include opening batsman Alex Obanda and pacemen Nehemiah Odhiambo and Elijah Otieno were in a list of 13 players set to begin new and improved contracts on July 1.But Cricket Kenya chief Tom Sears said only seven players had signed the contracts while the five rejected the offers, claiming the increased amounts were insufficient.“We are very pleased with the group of players who have committed to Cricket Kenya but obviously disappointed that some players chose not to sign their new contracts,” he said.Every player received an offer amounting to a basic increase to their monthly retainer of at least 10 per cent and the opportunity to improve that figure significantly through consistent high performance“They were also guaranteed match fees for domestic cricket for the first time which could significantly increase their earnings,” Sears said.“The fact that they have declined these improved offers calls into question some of the advice they have been receiving, but that is a matter for the players  themselves.While Cricket Kenya believes the five would consider their stand and continue to play for the national side without any contracts, their absence would mean Kenya will be under-strength when they play the United Arab Emirates in the ICC Intercontinental Cup match and one-day series in Nairobi next week.

Read More

Collins Obuya named Kenya captain

NAIROBI: All-rounder Collins Obuya was named as Kenya’s new national cricket captain to replace Jimmy Kamande who was sacked after the disastrous 2011 World Cup campaign, Cricket Kenya said.At 29 Obuya, who has played 92 one-day internationals for Kenya, is the sole senior player left in the team after the national board decided to call time on the careers of most of the older players after the winless tournament in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh earlier this year.His first game as skipper will be against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the ICC International Cup and two limited overs tournament in Nairobi next week under the new coach, Michael Hesson of New Zealand.“I am very proud and honoured to captain my country and will do everything I can to ensure performances and results improve,” said leg-spinner Obuya, who was Kenya’s outstanding performer at the World Cup, including a 98 not out against Australia in Bangalore.“We have some very good players and some very talented ones coming through our system, so it is an exciting time to develop team and work with the new coach Mike Hesson, and the chairman of selectors Alpesh Vadher,” he added.

Read More

Young stars to feature in T20 squad

KARACHI: Pakistan, the former ICC World Twenty20 champions, are working on training their talented youth in hopes of recapturing the title in Sri Lanka next year.Pakistan won the title in England in 2009 which they had previously lost to India in the inaugural edition. However, they failed to defend their title and lost to Australia in the semi-finals of the 2010 World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.Despite being inferior to the big teams in Test and ODI cricket, Pakistan is quite successful in the shortest format of the game.However, due to the absence of players like Shahid Afridi, Mohamad Aamir, Abdul Razzaq, Pakistan’s Twenty20 squad can be said to be suffering from a lack of depth that it boasted of back in 2009.But cricket officials are still optimistic about the country’s Twenty20 future. Intikhab Alam, the team’s manager, expressed the hope that by training the players they can be confident of a good result in next year’s Twenty20 World Cup.“We are in the process of making our plans for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and are confident of preparing the team well,” Alam said while talking to a local English daily.Pakistan’s recent domestic Twenty20 tournament in Faisalabad highlighted the likes of Ramiz Raja Jr, Asad Shafiq, Ahmed Shehzad, Shahzeb Hasan, Sohail Khan and Shoaib Malik who all put up impressive performances which give reason to be hopeful about next year’s World Cup.“Twenty20 is mostly a young man’s game,” Alam said.“You have to have young guys who can hit the ball out of the park. You need guys who can really fight even while defending small totals. You need guys who are exceptionally good fielders. I’m sure that Pakistan currently has plenty of such guys.Alam, who is running the fast-track coaching project at the National Cricket academy in Lahore, said that the first phase revealed some players which can  be included in the national squad.“Several of the youngsters who featured in the first phase look seem to be really good and we can even blood some of them in our national Twenty20 squad,” he added.

Read More

Sri Lanka names squad but not skipper

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Wednesday announced its one-day and T20 squad for Australia’s tour of the island next month, but stopped short of naming a skipper.Tillakaratne Dilshan, who was named captain for the just concluded tour of England, was included in the 20-man squad scheduled to play five ODIs and two Twenty20 games against Australia.They will also play three Tests, but the squad for the longer version of the game was not announced. The only uncapped player in the squad is Sachithra Senanayake.The squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera, Jeevan Mendis, Chamara Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Kulasekera, Isuru Udana, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Malinga Bandara and Sachithra Senanayake.

Read More

Ranatunga leads protest against Sri Lanka

COLOMBO: Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga helped launch a protest on Thursday against alleged corruption in the governing body and the politicization of its administration.Ranatunga is now an opposition lawmaker in Sri Lanka and joined several others to launch a petition on Thursday in Colombo, demanding an end to the government appointing interim committees to run Sri Lanka Cricket.Cricket officials were accused of corruption and mismanagement as the governing body accumulated $69 million in debt after co-hosting the World Cup with India and Bangladesh.Sri Lanka’s sports minister fired the previous administration earlier this month and appointed another interim five-man committee.Ranatunga said the government has politicized cricket and other sports by appointing interim committees to run their administration.”Sri Lanka Cricket has become bankrupt and authorities have no interest in rectifying this sad situation,” he said.He called on the public ”to join hands to stop political interference and restore the image of sports.SLC has been run by successive interim committees, picked by politicians, for seven years.The International Cricket Council this month unanimously decided to amend its laws to make free elections mandatory for all national bodies by mid-2012.Sri Lankan authorities have said election for SLC will be held next year.In March, the International Rugby Board suspended the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union from full IRB member status after failing to conduct appropriate board elections, and restored the membership weeks later after elections were held properly.Netball is also run by an interim committee, but the sport’s officials have said elections will be held shortly for the federation.Ranatunga, who played for Sri Lanka from 1982 to 2000, led the national team in 1996 when the team beat Australia in the final to win the World Cup.Cricket is the most popular and wealthiest sport in the country, but infighting among those seeking a spot on the board and political interference has resulted in elections for office holders not being held for seven years.

Read More

Senior, junior players to get chance in upcoming tours: Younis

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team coach Waqar Younis said that senior and junior players will be combined in the upcoming tours, Younis returned home from Australia after a private trip and was talking to the media at the Lahore airport. While praising the cricket camp in Lahore, he said that it is a positive step to highlight the young talent who can benefit from such training camps. He also said that he will be concentrating on cricket now after coming back from his personal trip.The coach said that he will request the senior players like Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram to give tips to fresh players. Younis was hopeful that the team will deliver good performance in the coming season.He refused to comment when asked about the case hearing of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif.

Read More

Alarming downfall of Pakistan cricket

It is a matter of shame that Pakistan cricket administration degenerated to such an extent that the International Cricket Council (ICC), the governing body of world cricket, had to intervene. After closely watching our players performance, conduct and discipline going deep down the drain, the game’s management falling below international standards and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) acting like a silent spectator, the ICC was compelled to jump into the fray. They appointed a committee called the Pakistan Task Team (PTT) to probe into the affairs and suggest reforms. Should we call it the irony of fate or the outcome of incompetence, inefficiency and corruption on the part of those handling the affairs of our cricket In my opinion, which is based on vast experience of handling cricket affairs from a club to international levels, the disgraceful situation that our cricket is facing is the result of our own making. The deterioration has not occurred overnight. Though the present set up of the PCB has broken all records of inefficiency and corruption, the things have taken a decade or so in coming to the lowest ebb. The major factor responsible for making a laughing stock of our cricket in the world has been the appointment of incompetent heads of the cricket board by the President of Pakistan in his capacity as patron-in-chief of the PCB. Good or bad, the President of Pakistan has been the patron of the cricket board since its very inception. The system worked pretty well for almost half a century because while the patrons themselves remained the nominal heads only, they did not allow other government officials or political figures to interfere in the functioning of the board. Those appointed as presidents of the board were competent as well as honest with no lust for power. While the secretary (now CEO) being head of the secretariat was the kingpin of the board dealing with bulk of the cricket matters, the president (now chairman) acted only as a controller cum advisor.While the various committees formed by the board handled their respective subjects, the board’s council, that was an efficient blend of administrators and former cricketers, played an active role in the formation of policies and their implementation. It also closely supervised the functions of the board and pointing out irregularities if any. All this will indicate that it was not a one-man rule. All matters were mutually discussed and decided by the officials concerned. No chairman of the board was as power hungry as those politically appointed after the year 2000. Acting like Hitler, Mr Ijaz Butt, the present PCB chairman, has broken all previous records as far as the ‘one man show of power is concerned’.The downfall of our cricket started a decade back when these political appointees took the throne of the PCB which is no less than a kingdom when compared with other sports bodies. Although they were men of high stature they found the PCB much more powerful in authority and jurisdiction and more lucrative in perks and privileges than any other sphere of life. As I have said on some previous occasions, ‘cricket administration is a science in itself and can only be run by the people who have passed through it.Since these political appointees had no knowledge and experience of the game the downfall of cricket was natural. The biggest damage they inflicted on the cricket board was that after putting its constitution in the dustbin every chairman assumed total power to run the PCB as the king of a state. They employed their dear ones in the board so liberally that within a decade the strength of the PCB’s employees rose from around 80 to 600. What such a huge number of people do is beyond one’s comprehension. They believed in enjoying life to the hilt with promotion of cricket being a secondary affair.Considering the fact that Ijaz was a former cricketer as well as an administrator his appointment was hailed by the cricket fraternity but he disappointed all and sundry more than his non-cricketing predecessors. His three years period on the PCB throne has, however, been absolutely disgusting in all respects especially the grooming and character building of young players which brought shame and embarrassment to the whole nation. In an effort to become a dictator with overwhelming powers, he destroyed all the unity, strength, discipline and harmony both among the players as well as the officials. His relationship with the ICC also remained sore most of the time. To raise the Pakistan cricket to its rightful place the ICC appointed the PTT which suggested 63 points for improvement. Ijaz has rejected the report in toto. The confrontation with the ICC, being the controlling body of the game, will ruin Pakistan cricket further. We must analyse the PTT report wisely and find methods to improve the PCB’s administration, raising standards of the game and eliminating irregularities, faults and follies.

Read More

England fight back against India in first Test

LONDON: India spearhead Zaheer Khan left the field injured as England fought back on the first day of the first Test at Lord's on Thursday.England, having lost the toss in overcast seam bowler-friendly conditions, were 127 for two when bad light forced an early tea, despite the floodlights being switched on.Jonathan Trott, missed twice, was 58 not out and Kevin Pietersen 22 not out with the two South Africa-born batsmen's unbroken third wicket stand so far worth 65.Left-arm fast bowler Zaheer had been the pick of India's attack, with two wickets for 18 runs in 13.3 overs, when he suffered what appeared to be a hamstring injury and slowly walked off the field with England 107 for two.Shortly afterwards, Trott drove off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for four.But he was lucky to be at the crease at all by that stage.Before lunch he'd been missed on eight when, to Harbhajan's first ball of the match, he got an outside edge that slip Rahul Dravid could not grasp.And Trott should have been out for 32 in the second session when, having nicked Zaheer, he saw India captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni inexplicably fail to move across to his right for a catch that was never going to carry to first slip Dravid.Instead he went on to complete a valuable 89-ball fifty with seven boundaries.India had held England to 43 for one off 21 overs at lunch in the 2,000th Test match of all time and the 100th between the two countries after the start had been delayed by 30 minutes.Zaheer had in-form opener Alastair Cook lbw for just 12, the first time in seven Test innings the left-hander had failed to make a fifty.Shortly after lunch, India did reduce England to 62 for two when captain Andrew Strauss miscued a pull off a Zaheer bouncer straight to Ishant Sharma at long leg and was out for 22.It was a welcome sight for India after Strauss had made 78 and 109 not out against England fight back against India in first Test LONDON: India spearhead Zaheer Khan left the field injured as England fought back on the first day of the first Test at Lord's on Thursday.England, having lost the toss in overcast seam bowler-friendly conditions, were 127 for two when bad light forced an early tea, despite the floodlights being switched on.Jonathan Trott, missed twice, was 58 not out and Kevin Pietersen 22 not out with the two South Africa-born batsmen's unbroken third wicket stand so far worth 65.Left-arm fast bowler Zaheer had been the pick of India's attack, with two wickets for 18 runs in 13.3 overs, when he suffered what appeared to be a hamstring injury and slowly walked off the field with England 107 for two Shortly afterwards, Trott drove off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for four. But he was lucky to be at the crease at all by that stage.Before lunch he'd been missed on eight when, to Harbhajan's first ball of the match, he got an outside edge that slip Rahul Dravid could not grasp.And Trott should have been out for 32 in the second session when, having nicked Zaheer, he saw India captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni inexplicably fail to move across to his right for a catch that was never going to carry to first slip Dravid.Instead he went on to complete a valuable 89-ball fifty with seven boundaries.India had held England to 43 for one off 21 overs at lunch in the 2,000th Test match of all time and the 100th between the two countries after the start had been delayed by 30 minutes.Zaheer had in-form opener Alastair Cook lbw for just 12, the first time in seven Test innings the left-hander had failed to make a fifty.Shortly after lunch, India did reduce England to 62 for two when captain Andrew Strauss miscued a pull off a Zaheer bouncer straight to Ishant Sharma at long leg and was out for 22.It was a welcome sight for India after Strauss had made 78 and 109 not out against them 'guesting' for Somerset in their drawn lone warm-up match last week.If England win this four-match series by two Tests they will displace India at the top of the Test standings.

Read More

Shastri summoned in IPL probe

LONDON: Ravi Shastri has been summoned by a law enforcement agency probing alleged financial irregularities in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the former India all-rounder confirmed Thursday.He has been asked to help the Enforcement Directorate over questions relating to the lucrative T20 league in it's first three editions as he was on the governing council."It's a routine thing," Shastri told AFP at Lord's, where he is working as a television commentator during the ongoing first Test between England and India."Everyone who was on on the gc (governing council) has been asked to help with this inquiry," he added. Earlier, the Press Trust of India reported Shastri had been called to attend the directorate's offices in Mumbai next week.Lalit Modi, the driving force behind the money-spinning IPL, was removed as the chairman of the tournament last year.He faces criminal charges, including false accounting and accusations by the Indian cricket board that more than $106 million was misappropriated during his three-year tenure as IPL chairman.

Shastri played 80 Tests and 150 one-day internationals.

Read More

Dilshan to lead Sri Lanka in Australia

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Thursday appointed Tillakaratne Dilshan as skipper for Australia's visit next month, but did not name a deputy. Dilshan will lead in the three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 games, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said in a statement. The first game is a T20 clash on August 6.The squad for the Test matches was not announced, but on Wednesday evening SLC issued the names of 20 players who will be in a squad for the ODIs and the T20 games.They are: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera, Jeevan Mendis, Chamara Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Kulasekera, Isuru Udana, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Malinga Bandara and Sachithra Senanayake.

Read More

England struggle against India in first session at Lord’s

LONDON: England lost in-form opener Alastair Cook as they were made to work hard by India on the first morning of the first Test at Lord's here on Thursday.England, at lunch, were 43 for one off 21 overs with captain Andrew Strauss 20 not out and Jonathan Trott unbeaten on nine in what was the 2,000th Test ever played and the 100th between England and India. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose side are top of the ICC's Test Championship table, won the toss and elected to field under overcast skies.His new ball duo of left-armer Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar did not waste the conditions, both bowlers quickly settling into a probing line.Runs were tough to come by for England's left-handed opening pair of Strauss and Cook, both beaten on the outside edge.In what was a landmark match, although purists remain angry with the International Cricket Council's decision to award Test status to a match between Australia and a World XI in Sydney in 2005, there was something almost appropriately old-fashioned about such a start. Strauss would have been run out, backing-up, for three if Ishant Sharma's throw from mid-on had hit the stumps.But England had made just 19 off 11 overs when Ashes hero Cook was lbw for 12 to Zaheer, playing back and looking to defend to mid-on when the ball beat his defensive shot.As, thanks to Indian objections, lbw decisions cannot be reviewed in this series, Cook was unable to challenge Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf's decision but replays suggested the ball would have hit the top of middle and leg.It was the first time in seven Test innings Cook had failed to make a fifty.Zaheer, at the fall of the wicket, had miserly figures of one for eight in six overs on a morning of what traditionalists might have called 'proper' Test cricket rather than the fast-scoring game of recent years.It took Strauss 48 balls to score his first boundary, cutting first-change Ishant Sharma over the slips when the fast bowler dropped short and wide.Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh then saw his first ball edged by Trott, on eight, just short of Rahul Dravid at slip.

Read More

India win toss, put England into bat in first Test at Lord’s

LONDON: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to field against England in the first Test at Lord's here on Thursday.England left out fit-again seamer Tim Bresnan from a 12-man squad and selected the same side that drew the third Test against Sri Lanka to complete a 1-0 series win, with paceman Stuart Broad retaining his place.India, opting to field in overcast, swing-friendly, conditions, including seamer Praveen Kumar and batsman Suresh Raina but omitted fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and World Cup-winning star Yuvraj Singh. Abhinav Mukund played in the absence of injured India opener Virender Sehwag.This was the 2,000th Test ever played and the 100th between England and India.And it could see India great Sachin Tendulkar become the first batsman to score 100 international hundreds. He already has 51 in Tests and 48 in one-day internationals, both records.If England, currently third in the ICC's Test rankings, win this four-Test series by two matches they will displace leaders India at the top of the standings.However, India are unbeaten in 10 series under Dhoni and have not lost a Test series against England since 1996, winning three and drawing two of the last five campaigns between the two countries.Teams England: Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, James AndersonIndia: Gautam Gambhir, Abhinav Mukund, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain/wk), Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ishant SharmaUmpires: Billy Bowden (NZ) and Asad Rauf (PAK), TV umpire: Marais Erasmus (SA)

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SL)

Read More

Cricket's 2000th Test begins at Lord's today

LONDON: A five-day contest where often neither side wins, Test cricket may seem out of touch with 21st Century life yet series opener between England and India beginning today at Lord's will mark its 2,000th match.And with a sell-out crowd expected at the 'home of cricket', where India great Sachin Tendulkar could become the first player to score a hundred international hundreds it seems there is life in the old dog yet.Certainly no-one designing a sporting format today would come up with anything like Test cricket.Yet its sheer length, and associated unrivalled capacity for changes of fortune -- this month marks the 30th anniversary of England's remarkable win, following on, against Australia at Headingley -- means it can create more truly memorable moments than one-day and Twenty20 formats.Starting with a match between Australia and England at Melbourne in 1877, it took a while for Test cricket to be regarded as more important than the old rivals' own first-class matches and, South Africa apart, its global appeal in those early years was strictly limited.Tests were also, for much of their history, comparatively rare events with 803 matches played in the first hundred years compared to 1,197 in the last 34 years.There has rarely been an age since its inception when Test cricket was not facing a crisis many thought threatened its existence, with last year's spot-fixing scandal involving Pakistan players in England the latest example.If that had diplomatic, as well as sporting, ramifications so too did the Bodyline series of 1929/30, when England quicks Harold Larwood and Bill Voce bowled to a packed legside field in a bid to curb the phenomenal run-scoring of Australia great Don Bradman.But by then, the key decision that would broaden Test cricket's horizons had already been taken with two Imperial Cricket Conferences at Lord's in 1926 agreeing to England's exchange of visits with the West Indies, New Zealand and India, opening up cricket to Afro-Caribbean and Asian influences.A series of increasingly sterile Anglo-Australian contests in the 1950s and 1960s left many fearing for Test cricket's future until a vibrant West Indies side during its 'Tied Test' tour of 1960/61 showed there was another way to play the game.Even so one-day cricket migrated to the international arena and soon proved itself a commercial success.Recently the advent of the brash Twenty20, again migrating from the county to the world stage, opened up new audiences.And, with the creation of the Twenty20 Indian Premier League, vast new riches were available to players without the need to have first established their status in the Test arena.Yet as International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat put it on Thursday: "Test cricket is the pinnacle form of the game."It is our link to the game's origins; it is what defines greatness and it is recognised by the players as being the benchmark by which they wish to graded and remembered."History has proven that no other form of the game can create memorable and meaningful moments like Test cricket can."Which is not to say it doesn't face huge challenges. Crowds, outside of England and Australia, are often meagre and the sheer frequency of fixtures can leave even the most ardent fan feeling overwhelmed.Day/night Tests, often heralded as a way of bringing back spectators, remain on the drawing board and whether the ICC's proposed Test Championship, billed as a way of giving greater context to individual series, captures the public imagination, remains to be seen.But so long as a critical mass within the sport believe Test cricket to be living up to its name as the ultimate challenge -- and can convince enough people beyond the boundary to provide the necessary financial support -- it will be around for some time to come.

Read More

Players oppose lie detector tests: FICA

SYDNEY: The world cricketers' association said Thursday it "outright rejects" the MCC's proposals to encourage players to take lie detector tests in an effort to fight corruption within the game.The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the guardian of the rules of cricket, says the potential use of lie detector tests should be widely debated.Former Australia captain Steve Waugh, an MCC member, this week took a lie-detector test as part of his bid to help root corruption out of cricket.But the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) said the testing was irresponsible and it would oppose such actions in "the strongest possible manner"."It is FICA's strong position that the use of lie detectors as a means of determining the guilt or innocence of a player in matters relating to corruption on any practice for that matter is to be rejected outright," FICA chief executive Tim May said in a statement."I commend MCC and Steve Waugh for trying to be proactive in the fight against corruption, but lie detector tests are far from foolproof and not permissible as a means of determining people's guilt or innocence in the courts of the majority, if not all, cricketing territories."It is therefore totally unacceptable that players should be put under pressure to submit to testing that is far from foolproof."To publicly request players to make 'some stand' against corruption, by submitting to this 'imperfect' testing is irresponsible and FICA will oppose such actions in the strongest possible manner," May said."It's a no-win situation for the players. They quite rightly should decline to submit to one -- the testing is not foolproof"The players are not under suspicion for any corruption offence but now with the MCC publicly encouraging them to submit to one, if the player refuses, it looks like he is hiding something."FICA said it was committed to ridding the game of corruption, but would not stand by and have players subjected to a testing technique that had the propensity to churn out incorrect conclusions.May said he had written to the MCC to address the matter in a "responsible manner".Waugh was spurred into action following last year's allegations by Britain's now defunct News of the World tabloid that former Pakistan captain Salman Butt, and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif were involved in the deliberate bowling of no-balls during a Test against England at Lord's as part of a betting scam.The Pakistan trio were suspended for a minimum of five years' each by the International Cricket Council -- verdicts they are appealing at the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.They are now awaiting a criminal trial in England due to start in October.

Read More

Cricket: Court dismisses banned trio’s appeal

KARACHI:The Crown Court in London has dismissed the appeal of banned Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir to dismiss their corruption case in a preliminary hearing, which ended yesterday.The trio, who were found guilty of spot-fixing by the International Cricket Council and are serving a minimum five-year ban, had filed an appeal asking the court to dismiss criminal charges that the Crown Prosecution had levelled against them. Amir and Asif attended the hearing, while Butt was represented by his lawyer. The trio were caught in a sting operation carried out by a British tabloid during Pakistan’s tour of England last year.

Read More

PCB chief on mission during ICC celebrations

KARACHI:As the International Cricket Council (ICC) celebrates the 2,000th Test match at Lord’s today, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt will strive to break the ice with the game’s governing body following Pakistan’s reply to its Task Team recommendations last week.The PCB chief, who is also a member of ICC Executive Committee, has been invited in London to mark the week-long celebrations to be held during the historical match between England and India. According to officials, the PCB chief, along with discussions on ICC Task Team’s likely visit to Pakistan for constitutional amendment, will also attempt to improve ties with the body’s top brass that were affected after the PCB’s rejection on several recommendations made.The PCB questioned most of the 63 recommendations handed out in the Task Team report and called it a ‘scholarly exercise’ but softened its stance later saying the board has not rejected the report completely.“A gap has been created between the ICC and the PCB after the board’s reply,” a PCB official admitted while speaking to The Express Tribune. “Misunderstanding and miscommunication may be the reasons and the PCB chief will try to clarify it all.” 

Task Team visit to be finalised

The official added the Task Team’s visit to Pakistan was also likely to be finalised during the week.“There will be a discussion on how the PCB can help arrange the team’s meeting with the President as well as the schedule and how many members of the team will be visiting.”

Pak-India series to be discussed

The official said that besides discussion on those matters, the PCB chairman is also likely to discuss next year’s Future Tours Programme’s (FTP) scheduled series between Pakistan and India with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)

Read More

Dravid glad to be back where it all began

I knew it might be my only chance and I'd have to go back to India and start again -- and a lot of batsmen score first-class runs in India. I never expected that I'd be here 15 years later talking about it.Dravid, recalling his debut innings in what turned out to be a drawn match, added: "I knew when I was 50 not out I had a bit more breathing space. It gave me a lot of confidence."Thursday's clash also marks the 100th Test between England and India and could see Sachin Tendulkar a longstanding team-mate of Dravid's, become the first player to score 100 international hundreds  the 'Little Master' already has 51 in Tests and 48 in one-day internationals, both records.It would be very nice," said Dravid when asked about the possibility of Tendulkar reaching the landmark at Lord's -- a ground where both India batsmen have yet to make a Test century."There are a lot of stats being quoted about this Test but it makes no difference once the first ball is bowled," Dravid, who has scored over 12,000 Test runs at an average of more than 52 with 32 hundreds, said. This four-match series series pits India, number one in the world Test rankings, against a third-placed England team who could leapfrog their visitors into top if they emerge two wins clear at the finish.And an extra dimension will be added by the fact that Duncan Fletcher, for so long England's coach and the man who oversaw their revival as a Test force in the 2000s, is now in charge of India."We are still getting used to his sense of humour," said Dravid, to much laughter from English reporters who rarely saw that side of the former Zimbabwe all-rounder. "He does have one. He's been a good calm presence in the dressing room."His technical knowledge and the conversations we've had about batting, he's seen a lot of situations," explained Dravid, who unlike Tendulkar was not rested from India's recent 1-0 win in a three-Test series in the West Indies.During his career the stylish Dravid has often been hailed as a classic Test match batsman and someone unafraid to occupy the crease when required in order to 'bat time', hence his nickname of 'The Wall'.Similar compliments have been paid recently to the in-form England pair of Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott.Dravid, asked if he was glad there was still a place for the art of Test-match batting in an era of Twenty20 cricket, jokingly replied: "You mean making it boring? My strike-rate hasn't gone up, everyone else's seems to."The proposal put forward by International Cricket Council (ICC) chief excecutive Haroon Lorgat that the inaugural world Test championship final, due to be played in England in 2013, be a 'timeless' match, would appear ideally suited to Dravid's abilities. "I wouldn't mind batting three or four days, but the bowlers wouldn't like it," Dravid said.

Read More

Andrew Strauss names Sachin Tendulkar as "best Test cricketer of all time"

England Test captain Andrew Strauss has revealed on this week's ICC Cricket World audio show that he believes Sachin Tendulkar is the best Test cricketer of all time.Australia all-rounder Shane Watson, Sri Lanka wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara, former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd and Indian legend Sourav Ganguly join ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat on this week's show which is a special celebration of the 2000th Test match.Looking ahead to the England-India series, which begins at Lord's on Thursday 21 July, Strauss admitted he is excited about the challenge of taking on India, the world's number one team."I think it will be special - any series against India is special anyway. It is going to be a challenge, because India is a very confident side. They have got every right to feel confident about their ability. On the other hand we are playing at home. It has all the makings of a classic series," said Strauss.Talking of the grestest Test player of all time Strauss said: "I think I would probably say it is Sachin Tendulkar, who has been the best Test cricketer of all time. For him to go on for so long and maintain his incredibly high standards is a great testament of the man and the desire of his outrageous talent as well.'The England captain also recalled the moment that first got him interested in Test match cricket and revealed what he believes is the greatest match of all time."The moment that ignited my interest in Test cricket was England winning the 1986-87 Ashes Test series under Mike Gatting," said Strauss."The Test match that springs out for me as the best is the Edgbaston match in the 2005 Ashes series, which we won by two runs."The show can be used in whole or part by radio stations that want free cricket content for editorial use, while the public can also download it straight from www.icc-cricket.com or from iTunes.ICC Cricket Committee chairman and former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd also shares his thoughts in the show on why Test cricket is the ultimate challenge for international players."Twenty20 is an exhibition, but Test cricket is an examination in all aspects of your game. When any player retires from the game, he wants to be known as a Test player, as someone who has battled his way through," says Lloyd.This show has been put together by the ICC's global broadcast partner, GEO SUPER,ESPN,STAR Sports.PTV,SUPERS PORTS,

Read More

Shahid Afridi's father laid to rest in Karachi

KARACHI: Father of former captain Shahid Afridi was laid to rest in graveyard of Scots colony Karachi,The funeral prayer was offered in Madina mosque 13-D in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.Afrid’s father Sahabzada Fazul Rehman passed away here on Wednesday, after prolonged illness. He was 67.Wasim Bari, Asad Shafiq and other cricketers participated in the funeral prayer.

Read More

Daryl Harper accuses Indian players of bullying

SYDNEY: Australian umpire Daryl Harper has sacrificed his last test appearance and decided to stand his ground over accusations he leveled against the India cricket team. The ICC however remains silent over Harpers accusations.Harper had to leave cricket one day but he is not at all satisfied with the way he had to leave. He has held the Indian cricket team responsible for this and has accused them of bullying, stressing that he took this step because someone had to speak out against the Indian cricket team. The ICC has remained silent despite the public accusations made by Harper.Indian captain M.S. Dhoni condemned Harpers performance during India’s first test against the West Indies and said “If the correct decisions were made the game would have finished much earlier and I would have been in the hotel by now." Despite raising his voice against the ICC umpire, not even a warning was issued to Dhoni. To hide their mistake and support India at all costs, ICC said that when the incident took place Harper did not report it.ICC Chief Executive Haroon Logart said he had always supported Harper and it was unfortunate things ended the way they did. He added that he could not help Harper when he had to sacrifice his last Test appearance over the insistence of the Indian cricket team.This is not the first time the Indian team has had differences with umpires and match referees and has always managed to come out on top. Experts add that if Harpers accusations are not taken seriously than Indian players will turn the game into a joke.

Read More

Squad for Zimbabwe series to be announced next week

LAHORE: The National Cricket Selection Committee will announce the team for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe next week and it is expected that new players will be included in the squad,Pakistan will play one test, three one day internationals (ODIs) and two T20 matches during the tour. The team will depart for Zimbabwe on August 28. According to chief selector Mohsin Khan, the selection committee is expected to meet on July 27 and 28 once PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt returns to the country.

Read More

KARACHI: Former captain Shahid Afridi’s father passed away here on Wednesday following an extended illness, The family members of the cricketer told the reporters that Sahabzada Fazul Rehman Afridi succumbed to illness. Afridi’s father was not keeping good health for the past many days, that is why, the all-rounder returned home after canceling his foreign tours.The funeral prayers will be offered after Asr prayers while he will be buried in Scot Colony graveyard in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Afridi's brother Mushtaq Afridi told.

Read More

Kamran seeks guidance from former wicket keepers

LAHORE: Wicket keeper Kamran Akmal has decided that he will seek guidance from former wicket keepers Wasim Bari, Moin Khan, Rashid Latif and Saleem Yousuf to improve his game, Geo News reported.Kamran Akmal is training alongside Test cricketer Mohammed Hafiz at the National Cricket Academy.Speaking to the media Akmal said he was going through intense training to correct mistakes which were brought to light during the World Cup.

Read More

Test championship could witness a ‘Timeless’ Test: Lorgat

LONDON: The new world Test championship could witness the first timeless Test in more than 70 years, according to Haroon Lorgat The International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive said the format, where matches are played to a finish, regardless of time constraints, could be revived for the final of a four-team tournament to determine the world's leading Test side due to take place in England in 2013.Currently Tests are limited to five days, usually with six hours' playing time, but can end in a draw if bad weather interrupts the match or either side cannot bowl out the other twice."It is common knowledge that we hope in 2013 the top four teams will be involved in two semi-finals and a final to determine a world Test champion," Lorgat said. "The committee is currently working on it but it is not a good idea to end up with a drawn Test match."Whether (drawn games) are decided on a first-innings basis or on runs scored in the game we don't know but they will come up with a viable formula to determine a winner."The final may be a timeless Test, at this stage we don't know but we are looking into the mechanics."The last 'timeless' Test took place between South Africa and England at Durban in 1939 which was eventually declared a draw after nine' days play spread across 12 days in all.A draw ensued when the England team had to leave or they would have missed the boat home. England's fourth innings total of 654 for five remains a record for a first-class match and the 'timeless' Test remains the longest yet played."Statistics tell us that most Test matches now produce a result inside five days, but it may yet be a timeless Test," added Lorgat."It is a work in progress but I would favour finding a winner because you want a world champion," the South African explained.

Read More

PCB recovers Rs4.5 million fine from Afridi

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has recovered a fine of Rs 4.5 million from former national captain Shahid Afridi, Geo News reported Tuesday.Chief Operating Officer of PCB, Subhan Ahmed told the channel that the finance department had deducted the fine amount from the dues that were to be paid to Afridi for the World Cup and tour to West Indies.The disciplinary committee of the board had fined Afridi for several breaches of the code of conduct last month.The fine came after a stand off between Afridi and the PCB allowing his removal as captain of the national one-day squad in May. He announced his retirement in protest and criticised the board for its conduct and not respecting senior players.After he withdraw a case against the PCB from the Sindh High Court, Afridi appeared before the disciplinary committee which fined him but asked the board to issue him an NOC to go and play for Hampshire in England's domestic Twenty20 event.

Read More

Pakistan team to have short camp ahead of Zimbabwe tour

The Pakistan cricket team for next month's tour of Zimbabwe will only undergo a short conditioning camp as it coincides with the holy month of Ramazan, according to PCB sources."Since Ramazan starts from around August 2 and the team has to leave for Harare around the 24th it has been decided to have a three-four days conditioning camp before the team's departure," a Pakistan Cricket Board official said.He said the schedule of the camp would be finalised once chief coach, Waqar Younis arrives here from Australia.Waqar, who is based in Sydney, had delayed his arrival by 10 days due to ill health, but will now reach Lahore on Monday.In his absence, the PCB has been organising fast-track camps at the national cricket academy for leading players, including members of the national team available in Pakistan.Many of the leading players are presently busy playing county cricket in England. "The fast-track camps continue till July end so there is no purpose having a full-fledged camp before the Zimbabwe tour," the official said.Pakistan will play one Test, three one-day internationals and a T20 match during the three-week tour.The official confirmed that before leaving, the board would also announce the revised list of central contracts for players. "We were supposed to release the revised list of contracted players from July 1st and the list is final. We are just waiting for final approval from the board chairman who returns from abroad next week," the official said.Indications are that the revised list will include more young players and some players would be dropped, including fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who retired from all cricket during the World Cup and former captain, Shahid Afridi, who has also announced his retirement from international cricket.Both the seniors were placed in the category A of the last contracts list announced in January this year. "There is also no chance of Danish Kaneria, Shoaib Malik or even Kamran Akmal getting contracts since while the first two are not cleared for selection by the integrity committee of the board, Kamran is out of favor with the national selectors," he said.A source confirmed that the selectors wanted some new players to be included in the list.The source also ruled out the possibility of senior batsman, Mohammad Yusuf getting a contract although he had been active in the domestic circuit.Interestingly, the ICC Task team in its recent report, made one recommendation to the PCB that the number of contracted players should not be more than 20.

Read More

Pakistan looking to blood youngsters in T20 team

Pakistan is hoping to blood youngsters to boost its chances of regaining the ICC World Twenty20 title in Sri Lanka next year.Pakistan, who lost to India in the inaugural edition of the World Twenty20 Championship in South Africa in 2007, went on to capture the crown in England two years later. But they failed to defend the title in the Caribbean last year, losing to Australia in the semi-finals from a seemingly winning position.It may lag far behind teams like old rivals India, South Africa and Australia in Tests and One-day Internationals, but in Twenty20 cricket Pakistan has a better success ratio than any other side. They have in their ranks some of the most successful players in Twenty20 format. However, in recent times the team's performance in the version has dipped a bit.The exit of Shahid Afridi might further dent Pakistan's title chances in Sri Lanka. Afridi, the former Pakistan captain, retired from international cricket after a bitter fallout with the country's cricket authorities earlier this summer.But Pakistani cricket officials are upbeat about the country's Twenty20 future. They believe that by blooding youngsters in the team, Pakistan can boost their World Twenty20 title hopes."We are in the process of making our plans for next year's Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and are confident of preparing the team well," Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan team manager, was quoted as saying in The News Monday.Intikhab's optimism springs from the fact that Pakistan have a number of talented youngsters, who are currently making their presence felt at the domestic circuit. Youngsters like Ramiz Raja Jr - an explosive top order batsman - showcased their talents at a Twenty20 tournament in Faisalabad last month."Twenty20 is mostly a young man's game," said Intikhab, a former Pakistan Test captain."You have to have young guys who can hit the ball out of the park. You need guys who can really fight even while defending small totals. You need guys who are exceptionally good fielders. I'm sure that Pakistan currently has plenty of such guys."Intikhab has been keenly following the opening phase of a fast-track coaching project that concluded last week at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore. It featured fast bowlers and batsmen. The second phase, dedicated to spinners and wicket-keepers, will begin at the NCA Monday."Several of the youngsters who featured in the first phase look seem to be really good," said Intikhab, who has also served as Pakistan's national coach. "We can even blood some of them in our national Twenty20 squad," he added.The coaching project is taking place under the supervision of former Test cricketers, including chief selector Mohsin Khan, Sarfraz Nawaz, Ijaz Ahmed and Abdul Qadir. The programme is being run by Intikhab, who is also Pakistan Cricket Board's director of game development.

Read More

Informal Butt-ICC meeting salted for Lord's

LONDON: PCB chairman Ijaz Butt is likely to have an informal discussion on the Pakistan Task Team's (PTT) report with the ICC's top brass and PTT members during the Lord's Test between England and India beginning on July 21. It will be the first, albeit unofficial, meeting between the PCB, the ICC and the PTT since the report was published."The chairman will be going to Lord's, although there is no formal meeting scheduled there," PCB's chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad told PTI. "But it is likely he will have informal discussions with ICC president [Sharad Pawar] and chief executive [Haroon Lorgat], and Giles Clarke, the head of the Task Team, and some of its members.The Pakistan board, in its reply to the PTT' recommendations, had pointed out that apart from a short visit by David Richardson, the report had been prepared without the Task Team actually visiting Pakistan. It, the PCB response said, raised "serious questions on the observations given in the report". There have been reports of Clarke and Lorgat visiting Pakistan, and it could be one of the issues that come up at Lord's, according to Ahmad. "So far we have no official intimation about the Task Team visiting Pakistan soon, but at Lord's this could be discussed by the ICC and the Task Team with our chairman."We told the task team many times that they needed to visit Pakistan while compiling their report," Ahmad said, adding that the board would still welcome any proposed trips by members of the panel to Pakistan.In a further sign of a potential thaw between the board and the ICC over the matter Ahmad said the board had only dismissed the recommendations it felt were redundant or based on inaccurate information. "The constructive recommendations and proposals by the task team which are good for Pakistan cricket are under consideration," Ahmad said. "We are looking at ways to implement them soon."Ahmad dismissed suggestions that the PCB's initial cold response had soured relations with the ICC. "We appreciate the ICC and task team's intentions to help and support Pakistan cricket. Our relations remain very good and there is no confrontation on this matter," he said.The ICC set up the Task Team, following the attacks on the touring Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009, to look into reviving Pakistan's reputation as an international cricket host. Since then, the parameters of the PTT have grown to take in integrity and governance issues. At the ICC's annual conference in June, the PTT had presented a 38-page report listing 63 far-reaching recommendations, which included changes to the board's administration, to the process of selection, managerial appointments, the central contracts pool and even the kind of ball used in domestic cricket.

Read More

'Enforcer' Broad should concentrate on 'accuracy': Flower

England team Director Andy Flower has told fast bowler Stuart Broad to forget playing the role of an 'enforcer' and concentrate on improving his accuracy.He has got pace and bounce and he is a great competitor, but he can be more accurate," lower was quoted, as saying.His job is to create pressure and to take wickets and to do that you generally bowl at off stump. So his job is not to rough up the opposition. It is not to be this ridiculous enforcer," he added.England dropped Broad for the one-day international series decider against Sri Lanka earlier this month and he is now unlikely to find a place in the first test against India, The Telegraph reports.Earlier, England bowling coach David Saker had said that he wants Broad to play the role of 'an enforcer' to rip opposite sides."We want him to be the enforcer in our team. There is no better bowler in the world than Stuart at bowling bouncers," Saker said.Broad was sent back to county circuit last week to find some form ahead of the India series."We always select our best XI and Stuart has been a big part of that for the last few years. That is the criteria we will use when picking the side for Lords. He is in the squad but we are yet to make a decision about the best XI," Flower said.

Read More

Recently retired Australian umpire Daryl Harper has accused India of "bullying", just days before the start of their Test series against England.Harper pulled out of his farewell Test this month after criticism from India players and a "lack of support" from the International Cricket Council."I thought someone had to make a stand, so I did," Harper told BBC Sport.India said they had "no comment to offer" in reply to Harper's claims, and the ICC have yet to make a response."I never tolerated bullying when I was a teacher," Harper said, "and I don't think bullying should be allowed to continue here."Following the first Test between India and West Indies in June, which India won by 63 runs, captain Mahendra Dhoni condemned Harper's performance.Dhoni said: "If the correct decisions were made the game would have finished much earlier and I would have been in the hotel by now.His comments went unpunished by the match referee Jeff Crowe.

DARYL HARPER'S CAREER

Continue reading the main story

• Umpired in 95 Tests between 1998 and 2011
• Took charge of 174 ODIs, starting in 1994
• Stood in 10 Twenty20 internationals
• Indian newspapers also reported that "
• a very senior member of the side"                                                                                                       had claimed that the entire team did not want Harper to officiate in the final Test."We don't want him - you can quote it as the reaction of the entire Indian team," was the alleged remark.Harper had been due to officiate in the third Test a few days later but pulled out.In an interview to be broadcast on 5 live Sport on Monday evening, 59-year-old Harper said: "There were a number of factors... but the main one was what I deemed was a lack of support from the ICC."I wanted some action to be taken when there was some unwarranted criticism of me. But no action was taken after the Test match and I felt that if the ICC were not going to take some action then I thought I would. So I packed up and went home."There were five or six articles that were very derogatory that were not good for me and not good for cricket.Harper also feels that the behaviour of India's players is not in the spirit of the game."Cricket umpires have to have thick skin these days," he said. "I don't think I'm easily intimidated but you must respect the officials and I don't think that was the case. It's just the Indian way at the moment.It doesn't matter if it is Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Australia, England or India. The same conditions should apply and when I look back at before that third Test match I was starting to think 'maybe I should wait and see who is playing' then I thought 'this is a bad day, this is not a game I want to be involved with at the moment'India begin their four-Test series against England on Thursday at Lord's.

Read More

Spot-fixing: Pak cricketers to appear in London court

Pakistan, cricketers, involved in spot fixing case, will appear in a London court tomorrow.A British court has summoned the Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamir to appear on Tuesday.Former captain Salman Butt will not appear in the court as his England visa expired on July 11. He will be now be represented by his Indian lawyer Yaseen Patel.However, Salman Butt has applied for England visa to personally appear during next hearing of the case.Fast bowler Muhammad Aamir is already in England while Muhammad Asif’s lawyer will appear in the court on his behalf.

Read More

Fans select their Greatest Test Team of all time

Cricket lovers from across the world have cast more than a quarter of million votes this month to choose their Greatest Test team of all time. Fans voted on the ICC's official website, www.icc-cricket.com, using a short list provided by the game's governing body, to pick their leading eleven, as part of the activities to commemorate the 2000th Test Match, which will begin at Lord's between England and India on Thursday. Four Australians, four Indians, two West Indians and one Pakistani have been named in the ?people's' Dream XI. The final selection is as follows:

Virender Sehwag

Sunil Gavaskar

Donald Bradman

Sachin Tendulkar

Brian Lara

Kapil Dev

Adam Gilchrist (wk)

Shane Warne

Wasim Akram

Curtly Ambrose
Glenn McGrath

Haroon Lorgat, ICC Chief Executive, said: "The huge interest generated during the past month was amazing as media and supporters worldwide speculated and then selected the fan's Greatest Test team of all time. It supports our view of the everlasting popularity of Test match cricket."It would have been quite special to see this team take the field of play given the array of batting and bowling talent contained within the playing eleven. "Selecting from such greats is no easy job, and not surprisingly, the selection mainly reflects modern players seen by present day supporters. There are many greats from the past who would have easily merited selection in this team, but it is nevertheless interesting to see the fans view on their greatest eleven of all time.A series of activities are planned during this week in the build-up to and during the England-India Test match to celebrate the 2000th Test.

Read More

Wasim Surprised Over Gayle Omission

LAHORE - Pakistan’s former captain Wasim Akram has expressed surprise over the omission of Chris Gayle from the West Indies team against India. “Gayle not being part of the West Indies team, I feel is baffling to the cricketing world. Judging by his recent form, he is an automatic selection. In any version of the game, he is such a dangerous and useful player,” Akram was quoted as saying by ESPN.
IPL’s orange-cap winner Gayle accumulated 608 runs in 12 matches as an opener for runners-up Bangalore in this edition. The left-handed batsman hit 2 hundreds, 3 fifties and a record 44 sixes to demoralise the opposition bowlers. Akram believes Gayle was the show-stealer of the tournament. “We have seen him in the recently concluded Indian T20 League. I mean the guy is a class act. He is a destructive batsman, a pretty safe fielder and is very handy with the ball in the shorter version,” the Kolkata bowling consultant was quoted by tv interview Sport.Gayle has been at loggerheads with the WICB after the ICC Cricket World Cup. He was not selected for the series against Pakistan due to an abdominal injury. The batsman, however, claimed that he was dropped. According to Akram, there is more to it than just cricket. “There might be something very serious going on between the player and the West Indies board but that doesn’t warrant him an axe from the side. But I think it is West Indies’ loss,” opines Akram. Meanwhile, Akram is not too pleased with the media’s role in playing up the club versus country debate. Many senior Indian players have opted out of the Windies tour just after the cash-rich league and the issue has raised concerns about players’ ethics

Read More

Afridi is still Pakistan’s T20 captain!

KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) new official website is a reflection of the poor state of the cricket body, which is evident from the fact that it shows retired allrounder Shahid Afridi as Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain.Recently, PCB chief Ijaz Butt declared that Afridi is not captaincy material and would never lead the national side at least not during his tenure. But the chairman’s word has not reached the concerned authorities responsible to look after the PCB’s web portal.Afridi and Butt were at loggerheads, which saw the talismanic allrounder criticizing the current setup of the PCB and ended up paying Rs 4.5 million for serious breaches of disipline. Butt later claimed Afridi was responsible for Pakistan team’s losses in last two One-dayers on the tour of West Indies.Several weeks have passed since this controversy but still Afridi’s name continues to be mentioned as T20 captain until the filing of this report.

Read More

PCB, ICC may decide PTT visit in London this week

KARACHI: Pakistan, the most successful team in the fastest format of the game, are confident of raising a squad strong enough to regain the ICC World Twenty20 title in Sri Lanka next year, writes Khalid Hussain.

The Pakistanis, who lost to India in the inaugural edition of the World Twenty20 Championship in South Africa in 2007, went on to capture the crown in England two years. But they failed to defend the title in the Caribbean last year when they fell to Australia in the semifinals from a seemingly winning position.They may lag far behind teams like old rivals India, South Africa and Australia in Tests and One-day Internationals but in Twenty20 cricket Pakistan have a better success ration than any other side. They have in their ranks some of the most successful players in Twenty20 format.However, in recent times their performance in the slam-bang version of the game has dipped a bit.The exit of Shahid Afridi, widely regarded as the most destructive allrounder in Twenty20 cricket, might further dent Pakistan’s title chances in Sri Lanka. Afridi, the former Pakistan captain, retired from international cricket after a bitter fall out with the country’s cricket authorities earlier this summer.But Pakistani cricket officials are upbeat about the country’s Twenty20 future. They believe that by blooding youngsters in the team, Pakistan can boost their World Twenty20 title hopes.“We are in the process of making our plans for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and are confident of preparing team that is good enough to win the title there,” Intikhab Alam, the Pakistan team manager, told ‘The News’ in an interview.Intikhab’s optimism springs from the fact that Pakistan have a number of talented youngsters, who are currently making their bones at the domestic circuit. Youngsters like Ramiz Raja Jr  an explosive top order batsman — showcased their talents at a Twenty20 tournament in Faisalabad last month.“Twenty20 is mostly a young man’s game,” said Intikhab, a former Pakistan Test captain. “You have to have young guys who can hit the ball out of the park. You need guys who can really fight even while defending small totals. You need guys who are exceptionally good fielders. I’m sure that Pakistan currently has plenty of such guys.”Intikhab has been keenly following the opening phase of a fast-track coaching project that concluded last week at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore. It featured fast bowlers and batsmen. The second phase, dedicated to spinners and wicketkeepers, will begin at the NCA from today (Monday).

“Several of the youngsters who featured in the first phase seem to be really good,” said Intikhab, who has also served as Pakistan’s national coach. “We can even blood some of them in our national Twenty20 squad,” he added.The coaching project is taking place under the supervision of former Test cricketers including chief selector Mohsin Khan, Sarfraz Nawaz, Ijaz Ahmed and Abdul Qadir. The programme is being run by Intikhab, who is also Pakistan Cricket Board’s Director of Game Development.The initial phase of the project featured a number of leading players including Test batters Taufeeq Umar, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali. The fast bowlers, who took part in the training camp, include Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Talha.

Read More

Bresnan returns to England Test squad

The England selectors today named a 12-man squad for the first npower Test match against India at Lord's, commencing Thursday July 21 Test captain Andrew Strauss will lead an England squad that includes Yorkshire paceman Tim Bresnan, who returns to the England Test squad for the first time since the 5th Ashes Test in Sydney in January.The inclusion of Bresnan and the omission of Middlesex's Steven Finn is the only change to the England squad that won the recent npower Test series against Sri Lanka 1-0 England National Selector, Geoff Miller, said: "This is clearly a highly-anticipated series between two of the world's top Test playing nations and I know the England team is certainly looking forward to the challenge of taking on the number one ranked team in Test cricket."Following the successful Test and ODI series against Sri Lanka we're pleased to be able to include Tim Bresnan in the Test squad after his excellent return from a calf muscle injury. Tim adds further bite to our pace attack along with James Anderson, Chris Tremlett and Stuart Broad who has greatly benefitted from getting overs and wickets under his belt for Nottinghamshire during the week."Steven Finn has also benefitted from his time at county level in recent weeks and continues to press hard for Test selection. It's very pleasing to see the depth of quality around our bowling attack particularly with a challenging four-match Test series on the horizon."

England squad - 1st npower Test

Andrew Strauss (Middlesex) (Captain)

James Anderson (Lancashire)

Ian Bell (Warwickshire)

Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire)

Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)

Alastair Cook (Essex)

Eoin Morgan (Middlesex)

Kevin Pietersen (Surrey)

Matt Prior (Sussex)

Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)

Chris Tremlett (Surrey)

Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire)

Read More

England name squad for 1st Test against India

LONDON: England on Sunday named fast bowler Tim Bresnan in their squad to face India in the first Test, which begins at Lord's on Thursday, but there was no place for Steven Finn.Bresnan takes Finn's place in the only change to the squad that beat Sri Lanka 1-0 in the recent Test series.Yorkshire paceman Bresnan is returning to the England squad for the first time since the fifth Ashes Test in January."This is clearly a highly anticipated series between two of the world's top Test-playing nations and I know the England team is certainly looking forward to the challenge of taking on the number one ranked team in Test cricket," said England national selector Geoff Miller."Following the successful Test and ODI series against Sri Lanka we're pleased to be able to include Tim Bresnan in the Test squad after his excellent return from a calf muscle injury."Tim adds further bite to our pace attack along with James Anderson, Chris Tremlett and Stuart Broad, who has greatly benefitted from getting overs and wickets under his belt for Nottinghamshire during the week.England squad to face India in the first Test at Lord's Andrew Strauss (captain), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, Jonathan Trott

Read More

India collapse to 138-8 against Somerset

TAUNTON: India suffered a miserable time against Somerset as South Africa's Charl Willoughby took five wickets to reduce the tourists to 138-8 in their first innings on Saturday.This is India's only warm-up game ahead of next week's first Test against England at Lord's, but there has been little to encourage coach Duncan Fletcher and his players so far as they struggle to adapt to English conditions.

After a rain delay of more than three hours, India were finally able to take the field on the second day, but the tourists must have finished up wishing it had kept on raining.India's bowlers spent most of the first day being hit to all parts of Taunton as Somerset opener Arul Suppiah scored a century, while England Test captain Andrew Strauss guesting for the west country outfit -- and Nick Compton recorded half-centuries.It was more of the same on Saturday as Suppiah took his total to 156 before he was caught by Rahul Dravid off the bowling of Sreesanth with the score on 356.Chris Jones, who scored an unbeaten 51, moved the total onto 425-3 before Somerset declared to the relief of an Indian bowling attack without rested stars Ishant Sharma and Harbhajan Singh.A strong Indian batting line-up including Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir should have been able to respond with big totals of their own on a flat pitch.But left-arm seamer Willoughby had other ideas as he finished the day with figures of 5-50, while no Indian batsman passed 30. Gambhir, returning to action after missing the recent West Indies tour with a shoulder injury, was first to go as he fell on 21 after edging Willoughby to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.Willoughby struck again to dismiss opener Abhinav Mukund with the score on 51.That brought Tendulkar together with Dravid, but India's two star batsman failed to deliver.Dravid was caught by James Hildreth off Willougby for 17 and then Yurav Singh departed for a duck to Willoughby.Tendulkar couldn't stem the tide and he went for 26 as 19-year-old Craig Meschede claimed his opening first-class wicket.India were 90-6 afer Peter Trego dismissed wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and only Suresh Raina, who made 30, offered any resistance as they finished in danger of defeat on the third and final day.

Read More